College, university prepare for pot on campus

Using marijuana won’t be permitted at Trent and Fleming, including residences

Campuses in Peterborough will continue to be smoke-free once recreational use of cannabis becomes legal on October 17.

Those 19 years of age and older will be able to possess a maximum of 30 grams of the substance, but not smoke or vape it on campus – including in dorm rooms.

Trent University will follow Ontario’s Cannabis Act, which states that cannabis cannot be consumed in a public place, and that includes university campuses, director of risk management Louise Fish said.

The university is approaching the issue from a harm reduction perspective, Fish said. She is confident Trent will finish updating its smoking policy – the update is already approved in principle – to include recreational cannabis use early next month.

Trent will employ a phased-in approach to enforcement, Fish said. Those who light up on campus will be asked to cease and desist, but if violators are persistent, they can be fined and issued a violation notice similar to a parking ticket.

“It will be a harm reduction-awareness-type of initiative,” she said.

Fleming College, which will put a stand-alone draft policy before its board of directors next week, is taking a very similar approach. It will be fully compliant with the new provincial legislation and focus primarily on safety, president Maureen Adamson explained.

“We take the safety of our staff and students very seriously. That is what this entire policy will be anchored in,” she said.

The college decided to create a separate code. “We have done that because we feel it deserves that attention in its early days … we’re trying to be realistic about it.”

The policy will reflect the fact that the college is a workplace, residence, learning space and public space, she said. “We have to make sure we cover off all of those complexities.”

Fleming will have a similar stepped-in approach to enforcement, ranging from a warning to, as a last resort, removal of a violator. That will give everyone a time to adjust to the intent of the new policy, Adamson said.

It will also include an education campaign that will include posters and workshops “to ensure our students make informed decisions,” Adamson said.

Both Trent and Fleming, which have been working with their student associations and collaborating with community groups and other institutions on the matter, provide designated areas for tobacco and medicinal marijuana users.

Fish highlighted that cannabis is different than alcohol and tobacco in that it has valid medicinal uses – the university will continue to accommodate those users, as it has since medicinal use was legalized in 2001.

Fish doesn’t expect cannabis legalization to make that big of an impact, particularly since so many students living in residences are not yet the age of majority.

The same rules apply to Trent’s off-campus student accommodations, such as The Village on Argyle and Campus Heights, the London Property Corporation-owned buildings on Water Street adjacent to the Symons Campus.

Cultivation of marijuana plants is also not permitted, mainly because of the potential fire hazard created by the many lights the growing process requires, Fish pointed out. “We’re a little bit concerned about that.”

The new Fleming policy will also apply to Severn Court, student accommodation near the college owned by Campus Living Centres but operated in conjunction with the college, Adamson said.

Officials there declined a request for an interview but one manager did say a “game plan” was in place to prepare for cannabis legalization.

NOTES: For an overview on cannabis legalization in Ontario, visit https:// www.ontario.ca/page/cannabis-legalization ... For more information about Trent University, visit www.trentu.ca ... For more information about Fleming College, visit www.flemingcollege.ca .